Tag: mobile payments

Apple Pay will put the electronics giant in direct competition with services like Google Wallet and PayPal.

Apple Inc. announced on September 9 that it would be introducing a mobile wallet service entitled Apple Pay to its new iPhone 6 mobile devices, which were also unveiled at the event last Tuesday, and the company revealed that its digital wallet is integrated with its fingerprint ID security system and Passbook credential-storage app.

Apple Pay lets iPhone 6 users pay for purchases in-store with their smartphone.

Users will also be able pay for purchases using the service online though apps. According to Apple, using its payment systems is more secure and convenient than using a debit or credit card. Since Apply Pay has been designed to fit in with Apple’s Passbook app, which already enables users to store merchant loyalty cards, store coupons and tickets, the service is fairly simple to use.

To utilize the mobile payments technology within physical stores, users merely need to wave their smartphone in front of a compatible terminal to pay with one of their credit cards stored on the app. The payment is sent to the terminal via near field communication, also known as NFC technology, which is made possible through a chip that has been embedded in the new phones.

Currently, tens of thousands of retailers across America will accept it. Some of these include well known companies such as Macy’s, Target, Whole Foods Market, Starbucks and McDonald’s. This will give iPhone 6 users the ability to buy just about any item with a simple wave of their smartphone.

In addition, Apple’s partnership with payments processing start-up Stripe will help small app developers to power their transactions using Apple Pay.

The Apple Pay mobile wallet could make mobile payments more popular.

Aside from retailers, Apple has teamed up with three major credit card companies, Visa, MasterCard and American Express. These deals may help Apple succeed in the mobile payments space where other companies have so far had no luck.

According to the CEO of Visa, Charles W. Scharf, “Lots of companies have tried this before, but our security and the Apple payment experience will be the two biggest drivers here.” If more Apple users begin to use their smartphones to make payments, this could push other companies with digital wallet services to make similar deals with credit card companies and retailers.

At the moment, many analysts believe that if there is any company that can persuade consumers on how valuable a mobile wallet can be, Apple is the one to do it.

Visa announces the launch of its new Token Service

Visa has announced that it has launched its Token Service. The service is meant to drive innovation in the mobile commerce field while also introducing more security to digital payments. The service replaces valuable financial information with digital tokens, which have the ability to authenticate mobile transactions. Security is one of the most significant challenges facing the mobile commerce space currently and Visa has been taking steps to address this issue in recent years.

Storing financial information on a mobile device can be risky

When it comes to mobile payments, a consumer’s financial information is often stored on a mobile device. This information can be stored on a digital wallet platform or a payment service. The problem with this is that this information can be accessed whenever such a platform is exploited. Malicious groups often target mobile commerce services in order to obtain such information. Visa’s Token Service may resolve this issue by removing the need to store financial information on a mobile device completely.

Token Service removes the need to store financial information

The Token Service is designed to replace a consumer’s financial information with digital tokens. These tokens do not contain a consumer’s information, but can still be used to facilitate a mobile payment. The tokens can be stored by merchants and not just consumers as well. This means that consumers can shop at their favorite online stores and make purchases from their mobile devices without having to input any valuable financial information.

New service is meant to bring more convenience and security to the mobile commerce field

Visa’s Token Service will only be available in the U.S. until early 2015. Next year, Visa plans to introduce the service to several other countries where mobile and e-commerce are thriving. The service is designed to further improve the attractiveness of mobile shopping and payments by highlighting security and convenience. Mobile commerce has thrived due to its convenient nature, but there are relatively few security solutions that have made consumers comfortable with paying for products from their mobile devices.